There exists a multitude of applications in various technical fields like for example, building construction, interior construction, mining industry, where an accurate determination of three-dimensional (3D) positions of an object is required. The object may have any shape and size.
One particular example of a device for a contactless determination of 3D coordinates of an object is an optical measuring means with an electronic distance meter (EDM), where a light source emits a light pulse towards the object and a semiconductor detector captures a light pulse that is back-scattered by the object. The distance between the object and the semiconductor detector is measured from the phase delay between a transmitted and a captured signal. The accuracy of the distance measurement amounts to some millimeters.
Such an EDM is commercialized by the applicant under the product name Disto™. This EDM is a handheld device which allows precise, fast and reliable distance measurements and enables on the site various calculations of heights, slopes, areas and volumes of an object.